An African horror story

The silence of the club got shattered by the slamming of an upstairs door. The gentlemen in the dining room turned their heads to see what rascal had dared to disturb the peace of the afternoon. Their faces took on a look of horror as a gentleman came running across the balcony. This sort of thing didn't happen at The Bell Club, and members had to get screened, and vouched for two fellows to be allowed in, so who was this wretched man?The concierge rushed to his side as the man collapsed screaming on the floor. The man’s eyes were flicking from side to side, as if hunting for something, his frail voice whispered only one word - Akuji. It was quite a while before we were able to calm the man enough to get him to a table, and learn of the terrors he faced, and that torment him to this day. The stranger among us looked like a man of means, but he'd hit hard times and was thin, unshaven and unwashed- or so we thought.James Terrington was the first to open the conversation, when he asked the question on everyone's mind, “Who is Akuji, my good man?”

The stranger took a sip of brandy from the glass the concierge offered and nodded his thanks as if he was known. Then he continued,"Akuji, how I wish I could forget the name, and the untold terrors it brings back to my tormented mind; alas, once heard, never forgotten. Before I proceed to tell you of the horrors I had the misfortune to witness, let me introduce myself, and explain how I came upon the name that has tormented for so many months.My name is Gregory Harding; I am the executor of my late uncle Charles Palmerston's will. You may have come across one of his works, “Did we see him.” The book was a favorite read among the well-to-do social circles for several months after its release. Sadly, my late uncle never saw the success of his work on the disappearance of Lord Percy Fawcett. Always searching for new mysteries, he ventured out one day and vanished. The only link to his whereabouts is a half-finished work called, “Did we see them.” Who the "them" in the story is we have no idea, but, knowing my uncle it probably involved some mystery. One theory is he was going to look for clues to the Mallory/Irvine mystery.Another theory was he developed his time travel machine and disappeared back in time.Strange things began to happen when he returned from the Amazon after searching for Fawcett. One night he left the club to take some air and smoke his pipe; on his return to the club found ten years had elapsed; a mystery he was never able to explain. The best he could do was put forward a theory of the time travel. Science is run by benevolent societies, with lots of money and time travel was for H.G. Wells' fans to read, not for scientists to make theories about the possibilities of its existence.At the time of his disappearance, the most popular theory put forward was the ridicule he suffered at the hands of the Science community caused a breakdown, and he walked out. The assumption that my uncle would desert science, I know to be untrue, my late uncle was a man of resolution, and would never walk out on what he loved –Science. The community may have deserted him, but he would never desert Science. Months passed, and I had no word from my late uncle. The period of non-contact in itself was worrying, as we'd always kept in contact since my college days.One day, I was sat in the lounge of this club when the concierge handed me a letter. The letter was from my uncle's solicitors. I thanked the concierge and opened the letter. Inside was a letter from my uncle, it wasn't long, but the message didn't need to be; my uncle had a habit of saying much in a few words.The letter read: "My dear Gregory, if you are reading this, it means I am lost in Africa on my last search. I beseech you not to look for me. I'm on a search for Akuji, at this time I don't know if I am sane, or if he is playing tricks on my mind. I beg of you, sort my things out, take what you wish and burn this letter. I would say God save me, but I think I am beyond divine intervention. Yours, your loving uncle Charles Palmerston."My uncle being a man of science, and a devout Christian, would not have taken the Lord's name lightly, so what had scared him so badly, and who is Akuji? Since man set foot on African soil, there have been stories of strange beings. Some of the stories are attributed to illnesses contracted in that awful place; others can be put down to maladies of the mind. Through the reports, one name keeps appearing. The name is Akuji. What, or who it is I don't know. What could have happened in the jungle that scared my uncle, I have no idea?He never recovered from the horrors he saw in the Amazon. I fear this expedition he saw this journey as a desperate to save some scientific honour. Some fear plagued my uncle; whatever it was, it made him stop his journal, and set off on a trip back to Africa. A trip he feared he would not be able to return safely from or with his sanity intact.I sat for some time pondering my uncle’s actions. What could have driven him back to that continent? We didn't have much time to talk after his return from the first trip, but I got the distinct impression nothing on this planet would get him to return. He spoke of nights without sleep, fearing for his sanity. Of the dark areas of his mind that he could only escape by staying awake. He had witnessed horrors beyond speaking in the Amazon, but he told me the trip to Africa made that pail into insignificance; and yet he did return.After deep thought, I decided to do go against his wishes. I couldn't let my uncle rot in some jungle, and not try to find out what had happened. That was my first error of judgement, as I was later to find out. Had I heeded the warning I could have trusted my sanity, and not mourned the loss of dear friends. The quest for answers to my questions was too great, and my friends and I paid the price. I wish I could take back the days since I heard the name Akuji, but I can't. What happened, happened. I was lucky to get out alive, or was I?I had never been reckless, any risks I took, I calculated the possible outcome. For some reason, this trip was pulling me into it. I didn't know if it was trying to find my uncle, or that I thought this might be my last chance to take a risk; something drew me in. Like a spider waiting for its prey. The days after I read my uncle's letter passed slowly. I wanted to know what happened, but at the back of my mind, something told me I may not see England again if I ventured out. Fate can often deal you a bad hand, and from the day I read the letter, I thought I felt an evil presence watching over me. I thought I'd see people lurking in the shadows, only to find the encroaching darkness behind me. Sounds I once loved to hear had now taken on an eerie echo, even the skies appeared to be darker with heavier clouds. At the time, I thought my imagination was playing tricks on me.I packed what I thought I might need, and for an inexplicable reason, on my way out to the carriage I had requested I said to the concierge, “If I don't return in a month, can you send my notes to the Bell Club? My friends will know what to do, or who to contact. In my items I put a written copy of my uncle’s letter, I ask that they try to get a publisher interested; I think his adventures will be a good read in the years to come.”

With a small rucksack on my shoulder, I turned to take a final look at the plush carpet on the stairs leading to my room, and thought Will I see the inside of this establishment again?The incessant rain reminded me of the England I was leaving behind and reminded me I was heading for a continent I had never thought about until my uncle's letter arrived. The journey I undertook had to start late at night, the only boats heading to "The Dark Continent" are tramp steamers, and they set off at the break of dawn. Like my uncle, I'd done my share of travelling, not always first class, but the thought of going on such a long journey in such a small boat wasn't a nice thought.I had no idea where I would travel to, my only guide was the postmark on the envelope, and the name Akuji. I knew it was folly, but I hoped the name would mean something to someone. I wasn't wrong.After a week at sea, we docked at a small islet called Port Kell, being a tramp we were able to travel a little further upstream than the bigger ships. I disembarked and made for one of the bars frequented by With a small rucksack on my shoulder, I turned to take a final look at the plush carpet on the stairs leading to my room, and thought Will I see the inside of this establishment again?The incessant rain reminded me of the England I was leaving behind and reminded me I was heading for a continent I had never thought about until my uncle's letter arrived. The journey I undertook had to start late at night, the only boats heading to "The Dark Continent" are tramp steamers, and they set off at the break of dawn. Like my uncle, I'd done my share of travelling, not always first class, but the thought of going on such a long journey in such a small boat wasn't a nice thought.I had no idea where I would travel to, my only guide was the postmark on the envelope, and the name Akuji. I knew it was folly, but I hoped the name would mean something to someone. I wasn't wrong.After a week at sea, we docked at a small islet called Port Kell, being a tramp we were able to travel a little further upstream than the bigger ships. I disembarked and made for one of the bars frequented by With a small rucksack on my shoulder, I turned to take a final look at the plush carpet on the stairs leading to my room, and thought Will I see the inside of this establishment again?The incessant rain reminded me of the England I was leaving behind and reminded me I was heading for a continent I had never thought about until my uncle's letter arrived. The journey I undertook had to start late at night, the only boats heading to "The Dark Continent" are tramp steamers, and they set off at the break of dawn. Like my uncle, I'd done my share of travelling, not always first class, but the thought of going on such a long journey in such a small boat wasn't a nice thought.I had no idea where I would travel to, my only guide was the postmark on the envelope, and the name Akuji. I knew it was folly, but I hoped the name would mean something to someone. I wasn't wrong.After a week at sea, we docked at a small islet called Port Kell, being a tramp we were able to travel a little further upstream than the bigger ships. I disembarked and made for one of the bars frequented by local traders, my reasoning being they'd be able to hire a small craft for me. I was in luck; there was a boat leaving within the hour for Madgipoor. I learned from the natives that nobody would travel further up the river.I paid for my ride and took the room I allotted to me, the room was tiny it was little more than a closet, but this was the only vessel heading inland for a week, what choice did I have? We travelled inland for several hours before we docked at a remote landing called Darwitch. Darwitch was only a few huts and a couple of bars, the location was obviously only a supply station, that was clear to me.I hadn't drunk, or eaten, since leaving Port Kell many hours ago, and the humidity was taking its toll on my body. My next stop was “Johnson's,” a bar frequented by the travellers I was later to thank for saving my life – if not my sanity. Johnson's was the kind of establishment I would have avoided in polite society, but here the bar was the height of the area’s social circle. On entering the bar all heads turned to view me, of course, strangers weren't something the patrons didn't see many of in this area. After taking a stool at the bar, I ordered a brandy to calm my nerves. Other than the novelty effect, my arrival was all but ignored, until I mentioned my plan. Then things changed.After mentioning, I intended to locate Akuji, the bar emptied quickly. All but one man left, the remaining patron – a drunken Irishman called O’Martin – viewed me with interest. As he drank his warm beer, he said, “O’Martin’s the name, Darren O’Martin. I'm a big game hunter, guide and the manager of the station. I'll tell you something for nothing, and you won't get anybody to take you upriver from here. The last person to try to get upriver was a white man called Palmerston, he came through months ago, and nobody's heard from him since. We don't expect to, nobody goes after Akuji and survives, he does things no mortal mind can comprehend.”I tried to persuade O’Martin to join me in my quest, but no amount of money could move him from his fear of Akuji. The only concession he'd give is he hired one of his canoes out for me for the trip inland.The night was closing, and O'Martin suggested I take some rest as the days ahead would require all my senses to be fully active. The bed offered had dirty sheets, and the room swarmed with mosquitoes feeding on the refuse on the floor.As the night stretched on, I began to understand why he’d got drunk. The smell of the huts was enough to sicken a man with a strong constitution, what I didn’t know at the time was being drunk was O’Martin’s way of fighting the evil of Akuji.Through the night, I had strange images of the jungle, and beings I'd never heard of before. My rest was little, and I woke as tired as I'd gone to bed, O'Martin noticed my state and said, “You're in no fit state to go inland, I'd call the trip off while you have your sanity, this may be your last chance. I see by the look on your drawn face that Akuji’s magic has found you. I’ll let you in on a secret, years ago I tried to leave here, the problem is, once you’ve been here the place takes your heart and soul. I went back to Dublin, but it wasn’t long before I realised I had to come back - for the safety of my family, and friends.”I asked what he meant, and he replied, “If you go upriver you’ll find out for yourself. If I was to tell you, you wouldn’t believe me. You’d think it was the ravings of a drunken Irishman, and who’d blame you, after what I’ve seen I doubt myself.”“I had visions of beings from another dimension,” I told my companion, “as if they lived in a world, not of the living."O’Martin glanced my way and said, “Once you go inland you'll see things beyond your belief.”I asked him, “How will I know what is real?”He shook his head and commented, "You won't, all things will appear true to you. Your only hope of survival is to treat everything you see as real.”I was beginning to understand my uncle's fears now, but I had to try to find him. “Will these images leave me, when I leave the area?” I asked.Darren shook his head, then replied, "Nobody escapes Akuji. Not there, not here, not in England. You can go back to your social life with your rich friends, but Akuji will be with you all the time. The things you see and hear inland will never leave you in peace.”At the time, I didn't put any stock in what the stories that throng these parts. Natives are prone to superstitions, and I'm a rational man, or so I thought until I went inland. As I headed up the river, the trees on the banks appeared to be sending roots out to my canoe, and I kept seeing creatures out if the corner of my eye that vanished when I turned to face them. It wasn't long after this that the strange sounds I'd heard back at Johnson's started to overcome my mind. I was unable to track the source, but I'm sure that somewhere in the jungle, the local beat was pounding and drawing me closer to my doom.The river’s flow appeared to be Akuji’s heartbeat, as the river drew me closer, I could fell his presence stronger around me. The creatures were swinging from the trees, and laughing like demented monkeys on some crazed mission. Then as if by his power, the river stopped flowing and the banks filled with the creatures, amid the clamour stood one creature. All the others glanced at him, then without a word of command they rushed my boat. I didn't have time to take aim, so I took a snapshot at the head of the group. I'm a reasonably good shot, and I'm confident that my ball would have hit him in the head, but as the round neared him, it slowed to a stop.The man stopped talking for several minutes as his eyes flicked across our faces, and viewed the room as if demons were dashing through the halls. He leapt to his feet with a burst of energy and drew his pistol. He fired three shots, then holstered the gun as though nothing had happened. Then he continued his story.The mass of creatures started swarming toward the boat; I realised there was nothing to do but row for my life. The faster I rowed, the more I appeared to be drawn back to the spot where this creature lived. There was nothing to do but pray my strength would hold out and I wouldn't end up like the poor wretched creatures I saw before me. They were living – in the sense that life is dependent on movement – in a world that is neither of this world or the world of the dead. Their minds are in the control of the headman if you can call their leader a man, for I was unable to ascertain if he had a body. His presence appeared to be in a dimension I am not aware of existing.He can be everywhere while being nowhere. He is all seeing and at the same time able to tell what you're thinking before you know what you're thinking. I rowed as hard as possible, for as long as I could then the unimaginable happened. The roots of the trees rose from the water and turned the boat over, as I hit the water I saw a splash some yards ahead of me. The crocodile slithered into the water as I swam for my life. I made landfall with barely a foot to spare as its jaws caught my ankle, and tore my calf muscle.I stumbled up the bank and took a few short breaths, and I knew the creatures weren't far behind, but I prayed crossing the river would slow them for a while. I was shaken from my rest by a spear landing near me. I had no idea where I was, so I ran as far as I could and prayed I could stay ahead.I thought I was going to die, out of breath and with my heart pounding I tripped over a root. Unable to move I lay there wondering what torment lay ahead for me. To my surprise the next thing I remember is hearing a fusillade of shots, and hearing the screams of the creatures. I looked up from my position on the muddy floor to see Johnson and three others firing into the mass of bodies behind me.Johnson called to me as I raised my body, “I thought you might need help. We can't kill ‘em’, the only thing we do is keep them to their end of the river.”I thanked him and his friends for saving me and walked back to the bar, where they gave me two shots of brandy to start my recovery. I asked them who those people were; nobody had an answer other than the fact they'd been around since the white men had landed. The native mythology told of a great spirit that guards the home of the ancient ones. This area is said to hold more gold than is imaginable, but only fools fight Akuji for his mind guards the land.We sat talking for a while, all the time my mind was wondering if it was possible to get far enough from this land for Akuji's influence to be ineffective?The next day, I took the boat up the river to Port Kell to meet the steamer for my return. On the journey back, my thoughts were plagued by images of men not of any realm I know and ruled by a creature whose existence defied logic view. I put the ideas down to the nearness of the continent, and fatigue from my narrow escape from death.The problem is I've been back here for several days, and the memories haven't gone –if anything they're getting worse. I have stayed in my room for the whole time since my return because I fear for my sanity after my ordeals. You are probably wondering why in this state I am permitted lodgings at this establishment. The reason is that I'm a writer, and the owner of the club wants me to attract a clientele by writing about my trips. I was once as wealthy – if not more so – than anyone of you, but the search for my uncle drained my finances, and I write to fund my next expedition.Jerry Marshall asked the question we were all thinking of asking, when he enquired,"Did you find your uncle?”With a pang of sadness in his wispy voice, our colleague replied, “ No, there was no trace of my uncle, other than O’Martin nobody recalled seeing him go up the river. If they did, Akuji has them so in his power nobody is willing to talk.”Jerry continued, “Do you think your uncle is still in that country?”Gregory replied,”I can't say for sure, all I know is I wished I'd heeded his message, not followed a hunch. If I'd trusted my uncle's judgement, my sanity wouldn't be being tested now."Jerry didn't follow what our colleague meant, so he enquired, “You said O’Martin told you they could only keep those creatures in their land."Gregory continued, "That is correct, he said you can't kill those creatures, and nobody knows how powerful their magic is. If he can control the minds of thousands of people in his area, what makes you think he can't control my mind here?”Thomas Connelly had been following the conversation with interest, and enquired, “ What are your plans?”Gregory replied, “I have three options. The first is to stay here in seclusion and hope I die before I go insane. The second option involves me going back to Africa in the hope of combating Akuji, and defeating him.” After this, Gregory paused.“What is option three?” Jerry enquired."The final option is to end my misery once and for all before I bring this torment to others with my insane ramblings." As Gregory said this, his eyes moved, as though catching something in the shadow on the wall. He gave a short, sharp scream and started tearing at his flesh, and then in a moment of sanity, he rushed up the stairs and slammed his door shut. There followed a deathly silence, and then two more shots were fired. The door slowly opened, and our new friend stumbled out of the room, and then he slumped across the railing, his face torn apart by the final shot and the blood dripping down on our table.Thomas glanced at the pool of blood forming on the table, and said, “Do you think he's escaped now?”We sat for a short while, then crossed ourselves. Jerry replied, "I hope he's found a release from the horrors. I've never seen a man look they way he did when he died, and I can't think of anything worse.”The room went silent as everyone took the time to consider what happened, and was it possible for Akuji to control people who'd never crossed his path. The crowd dispersed as the concierge went to mop up the blood. The stain of death had come to rest at The. Bell Club.The calming serenity of the old club would forever be shattered by the memories of this event, no man there would forget the horrors, and none of us hoped what Gregory said about the powers of Akuji would come true.After several minutes, the concierge came down the stairs, "Begging your pardon, sirs. I'd like to tell you something. Mr. Harrison came back a week ago, and he hadn't had more than bread and water in all that time. He said that any food he sees brought images of fleshing being torn off the bones of the living to feed those creatures. In my humble opinion, I think he was worried he'd turn on you, and chose death as the only escape.”Then, with no warning, Thomas snatched a snooker cue and started fighting unseen demons as if he was reliving a nightmare.